Mappatura speditiva dei danni da immagini satellitari a supporto della risposta all’emergenza

This essay describes rapid mapping activities based on satellite imagery and it is focused on earthquake damage assessment carried out by the Rapid Mapping component of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS). In the introduction section the potentials of satellite sensors, especially the very-high resolution optical ones, in providing value-added information to support the emergency response phase are discussed. Operational satellite-based emergency mapping mechanisms and their operational adoption at global level is also described. The second section provides a quick description of the European Union’s Earth Observation Copernicus programme and its six different services, focusing on the Rapid Mapping service. In the third section the chronological history of the CEMS activations in response to the 2 main earthquake events that hit Central Italy in 2016 and 2017 is described, proving the details of the type of analyses and of products generated by the service. Finally, the fourth and last section contains a critical review of the activities carried out and of the related mapping products, highlighting benefits and drawbacks of the current approach: a possible workflow to integrate field surveys aimed at complementing damage assessment based on satellite imagery only is also suggested and discussed.